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One Night in Bangkok Squared

AC and I spent one night in Bangkok -- twice -- with a week in Koh Samui slid nicely in between.

Our first night in Bangkok consisted of eating dinner and crashing from travel fatigue. Dinner, however, was at a quaint little place known as Condoms and Cabbages. While it sounded completely unappetizing at first read, we soon learned it was a restaurant dedicated to the promotion of birth control and safe sex in Thailand. The decor was, well, condoms and birth-control pills (the prophylactic-laden Christmas tree was my personal fave) and the food was surprisingly good.

The next day we took a short plane ride over to a small island called Koh Samui. We did ... nothing. Our days consisted of sleeping in, catching the breakfast buffet 10 minutes before it closed, hanging out by the pool/beach, afternoon nap, catching dinner and drinks, the bed. Repeat. One of the interesting things was the general alcohol consumption -- low. In some ways we were expecting it to be like Cabo San Lucas -- party party party!! In Koh Samui, the waiter would bring you a drink and then you wouldn't see him again for several hours. After flagging him down, he'd look at you over his sunglasses and say, 'you want another drink?' like it was the first time he'd ever heard of someone having more than one beer in a 24 hour period. To add insult to injury, they were holding elections for the first several days of our trip. Thai law forbids the sale of alcohol during this period, so between the legal challenges and peer pressure, we stayed surprisingly sober.

Our trip was completed with yet another night in Bangkok. We made the most of it by taking a quick trip over to The Grand Palace which was probably the most mind-blowing place I'd ever seen. Every square inch of space was covered by something that shined or glittered in the very hot sunshine. I can't even describe it with words, so you'll just have to check out the pictures to see it for yourself.

At the Palace, I'm embarrassed to say that we got taken for a scam. A very nice lady hooked us up with a tuk-tuk ride that would take us to some additional sites for next-to-no money. After the first ride, we just happened to "bump" into a nice man who mentioned some jewelry stores and tailors we should check out if we get the chance. Little did we know, we would soon get the chance as our nice tuk-tuk driver then held us hostage and took us to the exact those places that nice man had casually mentioned. I must admit it was a slick set up. When we finally balked and refused to see any more stores, he punished us by leaving us in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly all the cabs that were desperately trying to pick us up just hours before somehow disappeared (I think we were marked somehow). Thankfully we had a map from the hotel and managed to find our way back (and get to ride a water taxi in the meantime -- fun!).

Our final dinner was this totally cute crepe place that was next door to Condoms and Cabbages. Overall the people were friendly, the food was outstanding (to be fair, we did each get a small case of food poisoning but nothing too serious) and everything was cheap!

Thailand goes down as probably my favorite place and a location I fully plan on returning to! As always, here are the pictures!

Rewind - Xi'an China

One of our favorite stops from our travels has to be Xi'an China. Centrally located, this one-time capital of the country had one of AC's favorite attributes - cold weather! Although after spending a week there, it proved to offer much more than just that.

Compared to what we'd experienced in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Xi'an is a place that embraces its history -- and there is a lot to embrace! Our first stop was the Big Wildgoose Pagoda. Around 1400 years ago, a man named Xuanzang traveled outside China to further study spiritual teachings. After spending about 17 years on the road (much of which was spent in India), he returned with over 600 Sanskrit texts containing expansive Buddhist doctrine. Upon his return, this pagoda was built to house the thousands of manuscripts that he painstakingly translated from Sanskrit to Chinese, an act which heavily influenced Buddhism's role in China. When we asked if the documents were still housed in the pagoda, our guide simply stated, "No, the government took them and won't tell us where they are." Now that's a response you can only appreciate in now-Communist China. Later in the trip, we made a stop by Small Wildgoose Pagoda -- the redheaded step-child pagoda -- which was heavily damaged by earthquakes, but a little more of the tourist track.

Our next stop was the Banpo archaeological dig site, which houses remains of a Neolithic village (read: end of the stone age around 5000 - 4000 BC). The museum houses an assortment of pottery and tools, but probably the most interesting item is the remains of the village itself. In it, you can find the remains of a moat that surrounded the village, hut outlines and ancient kilns used for firing their pottery. It can even border on creepy as you examine the many skeletal remains, most buried face-up with their heads pointing in the same direction. However, a smaller group are buried-face down. Perhaps this was some form of punishment or they suffered from a then-mysterious disease. They also suspect that this was a female-run society, although how they get that from looking at 7000-year-old scraps of pottery is anybody's guess.

Probably the trippiest part of this trip were the Terracotta Warriors. Not discovered until the 1970s (by a local farmer who was trying to dig a well and pulled up a head!), these life-size terracotta statues were buried with Emporor Qin in 210 BC. Although the ones you see are all put together, they were actually thrashed by peasants during an uprising that took place shortly after Qin's death. The statues were holding real weapons (you can't go chintzy when you plan to wage war after death you know) that were instead used to oust their cruel new leader. Then, apparently, everyone just forgot about them. Only a small portion of the 8000+ statues are actually unearthed, because their brilliant paint jobs oxidize in a mere matter of hours, turning them the greenish-gray hue you see today.

I totally dug the idea of bringing an army to the grave with you, ensuring your success in the afterlife. My new plan is to be buried in business casual, armed with a laptop and Blackberry to ensure my continuation of corporate domination in the afterlife as well.

There were many other notable things to see in Xi'an, including their city wall (complete with a Bell Tower and Drum Tower so you knew when to hustle inside as gates were going up!), and am amazing dumpling feast (think pot stickers of every shape and size. My favorite --walnut!). It was a very zen-like trip, nicely placed in the middle of getting our butts kicked in Hanoi and Bangkok.

Here are the pictures!

Hanoi

Earlier this month, AC and I spent a few exciting days in Hanoi Vietnam. Our original plan was to meet a friend who would be there for work, but his trip was cancelled at the last minute. This left AC and I to fend for ourselves -- which ended up being scary and fun all rolled into one!

We arrived late enough on the first day to simply grab some dinner -- some traditional Vietnamese food. Our favorite dish was fried spring rolls served on what can best be described as Spongebob Squarepant's little home under the sea. Cute and delicious! We managed to also grab a quick drink at the Sofitel bar -- total swank. I was falling asleep at the table, but I think that was just a sign of the relaxing environment.

The next morning we got up early and headed into Hanoi's Old Quarter which is where we spent the majority of our time. This is the hustling, bustling section of Hanoi with endless shops, restaurants, and a never-ending stream of people on scooters. One of the first things you learn is there is no adherence to traffic signals. If you're lucky enough to have a traffic light to aid your passage across a given street, the drivers completely ignore it. So you simply take a deep breath, squint your eyes and go! The controlled chaos seems to somehow temporarily part around your fragile body and you make it to the other side unscathed. Aside from some near-misses, it's funny how quickly you become accustomed to throwing yourself into oncoming traffic!

Our first stop was the Ngoc Son Temple on Hoan Kiem Lake. Our first of many currency-conversion errors had us pay 10x the entry fee (it's funny how they don't correct you when you get it wrong). The most memorable thing is the giant monster turtles that live in the lake. They are huge, and prehistoric looking -- and real! They display a preserved sample in the temple as proof, which was about 4.5 feet long.

After the temple, we took a walking tour around the Old Quarter. It's a lot of quirky shopping for pretty much anything you'd ever want, and it's conveniently grouped by type (textiles, shoes, paper goods, candy, fake hair extensions, etc). We did a self-guided walking tour through this area, and were mobbed by helpful locals every time we stopped to reference our book for directions. This really got old in time, and AC (the consummate professional) gradually eroded from lenghty and polite responses to a simple "No!" I just ignored them for the most part, convinced the conversation was simply designed to distract me as they searched my pockets for my wallet. To end the day, we caught a showing of the Water Puppets show, which is like marionettes, only it's all done under water.

Our final day in Hanoi was spent checking out many of the historical interests, including the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and museum (his body was our for servicing unfortunately, so we didn't get a gander at Unlce Ho's body), the War Museum and the old prison where American POWs were held. All were very interesting and chock' full of propaganda for sure. It was interesting to see the other side's perspective on the Vietnam war. All propaganda aside, you get a better appreciation of how the US was simply the last group in a very long line of countries (China, France, Japan -- most on multiple occasions) that inserted themselves into Vietnam for a variety of reasons.

While there is a very anti-US sentiment in these establishments, all is washed away as soon as you step out the front door and are greeted by the hordes of locals (some who actually waited for you the whole time you were in there) who simply love Americans. And oddly, nothing makes them happier than paying in US dollars. And at those prices, we were happy to oblige.

Here are the pictures!

soon ...

I've been dying to write about Hanoi, but I caught some kind of mystery bug the last day there. It's been a joyous ride of cold and flu symptoms -- today I'm 80% back and want to update you all on our trip soon!

All Done!

Well, things are finally wrapped up at work so although I'm still an employee I'm not coming into the office anymore -- getting paid for no work, my dream job after all!

At this point we're still trying to figure out the rather complicated logistics around getting back to the US but for now we're just trying to enjoy HK. We're also headed to Vietnam on Saturday which should be fun! It will make for an interesting blog post if nothing else.

Until then, thanks for all your well-wishes and job leads!

RIP Halloween in the Castro

Well, the city of San Francisco finally did it -- they killed Halloween.

Some of my favorite SF memories are from that crazy Halloween party. Getting in a fight with my little brother who had to storm home through the crazy crowd. Dressing up as my friend Bradford at his own Halloween party. Watching AC get mauled by total strangers and interviewed by the evening news in his Chewbacca costume.

What a bummer ...

Shenzhen

The 19th of October was a holiday here in Hong Kong, and a few of my coworkers were gracious enough to spend the day with AC and I as we ventured into Mainland China. Although it's physically quite close to Hong Kong (less than one hour by train), you can immediately recognize a difference -- namely all the English signage is gone. We were very lucky that we had Chinese speakers with us, although even they struggled with the Mandarin dialect versus the Cantonese they are more accustomed to.

Our first stop was a traditional dim sum lunch. I will say that dim sum is finally growing on me. We were slightly more adventurous this time and I actually tried squab (domestic pigeon). Tastes like chicken! *groan* After a huge lunch and a failed attempt to get a lane at a local bowling alley, we headed over to a spa for a massage. Let's just say this is where things started to get interesting.

First, we were separated from our guides (as they were both ladies, they used the ladies dressing room). As AC and I were quickly ushered into the men's room, we were also separated to different lockers that corresponded with magnetic wrist band keys we were pre-assigned. My little helper boy tried desperately to communicate with me but could only manage, "USA? NBA?" while making basketball dribbling motions in the air. I'm sure I did look like a basketball player as I stood at least two feet taller than anyone there. I looked around for some visual queues that would help me understand what the heck I was supposed to do. I only saw ... well ... a bunch of naked Chinese people running around. So ... I joined them.

I eventually was reunited with AC -- now only donning a towel and his glasses -- and we were escorted into the showers. Apparently bathing was mandatory, as a man dressed in all back paced up and down the line of open stalls ensuring all the nude bodies reached an acceptable level of cleanliness. What a fun job that must be! The last stop was a changing area where we dried off and got into loose-fitting shorts and a smock.

Still reeling from my bout of public nudity anxiety, I surveyed the room. The main room seemed familiar, yet like nothing we'd ever seen before. Imagine going to a casino that has a large Keno room -- lots of comfortable chairs all facing a large screen in front. Or maybe a big IMAX movie theater? Now picture everyone sitting there getting foot massages. I'm re-reading my description and it just doesn't do it justice as to how weird this place felt. In addition to this sea of foot massages, you could also order food, smoke cigarettes, run on a tread mill and just generally laze around -- with hardly any clothes on.

When reunited with the ladies, they decided that we should all get a private room for our full-body massages. Our leader decided that Cantonese style would be best (and was also the most affordable at $12 US dollars for two hours). While I was excited at getting a cheap deal, let's just say sometimes you get what you pay for.

Initially I started to panic that I was going to have to get naked, yet again, only this time in front of my coworkers. It quickly became clear that they intended to massage us through our clothes. While this alleviated my fear of more public nudity, I began to realize these clothes had a scratchy feel to them. In no time, it felt like we had sunburns as they rubbed the rough cloth all over our skin. I guess Cantonese style massage is a deep-tissue massage, because suddenly my masseur was digging her elbow into my shoulders, wrapping my arm behind my back all "cuff 'em and stuff 'em" style, and generally causing me large amounts of physical pain. Now I'm no massage expert, but the ones I'd have previously all felt good. This was not the case. After two hours of torture, we limped back to the cafeteria and ate (again) to gain our strength for some shopping.

AC quickly found himself in his element, shopping for bargain-basement priced CDs. I was mostly bored, but got enjoyment from hearing such exclamations from AC as "Oh my gosh, George Michael for only a dollar!" and "How do they have Harry Potter on DVD already?" from the various stacks of what must have been bootleg media.

Our final stop was a Mongolian BBQ restaurant for dinner. I wasn't even the slightest bit hungry, given we'd already eaten several times that afternoon, but they quickly ordered eight family-style dishes (because it's good luck to order eight!). The food was actually really really good. The most memorable dish was the leg of lamb. It was served 'caveman style' meaning leg of lamb was actually a leg. As the beer buzz took effect, we pretended to bash each other over the head like our ancient ancestors.

In the end, we spent less than $40 US per person for the entire day. Next time however, I think we'll skip the spa.

Here are the pictures!

Paris Days 4 & 5

With the amount of free time I have on my hands right now, you'd think that I would have written about our final days in Paris with excruciating detail, right? Ah, procrastination -- how I love thee!

Our fourth day in Paris actually wasn't -- in Paris that is. We decided to take a guided tour up to Giverny and check out Claude Monet's house. It was amazing to see the Japanese gardens and iconic bridge that served as the inspiration for his famous waterlily series of paintings. If you're a nature lover, his home would be heaven with countless rows of different types of flowers and plants. The inside of his house was painted in crazy pastels -- we only got one picture snapped before we got in trouble, but his love for pastels didn't stop at the canvas.

After having lunch in what can only be described as the most picture-perfect little restaurant that epitomized the French countryside (above), we headed south to the Palace of Versailles. I had been there before, but it was neat to see AC trip out over the lavish furnishings. They explained that most of the good stuff got melted down to fund the French Revolutionary War, so you have to imagine things with more hardware. They had also just finished a major renovation, so everything was in pristine condition. You could almost picture Louis the XIV and Marie Antoinette at their lavish parties, before they were kindly parted from their heads of course.

Our final day in Paris was bittersweet on so many levels. Knowing that it was our last day in France, and also finding out I was losing my job made for a somewhat somber mood. AC continued his surprisingly laid-back approach to our trip and we decided to leisurely wander around the streets of the Montmartre district, making pit stops and The Moulin Rouge, the workplace of Amélie, the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur and other places of note (such as where Picasso lived for a short time).

A non-scientific survey conducted by myself (n=2), revealed that this was the best vacation we ever had. Europe was such an interesting change after being in Asia for such a long time. We can't wait to go back. As always, here are the pictures!

Paris Day 3

Ah how quickly my zen state from Paris was lost (getting fired on your last day of vacation will do that to you). While my mind has been mostly consumed with poisonous thoughts toward my employer, perhaps writing about our third day of vacation will help bring me back to my happy place.

*deep breath -- and we're back*

Day three was probably the most action-packed as we tried to hit most of the major touristy places all in one day.

Our feet were slightly sore from the full-day at the Louvre the previous day, so we had a leisurely breakfast then headed over to the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is such an amazing work of architecture, and the near-pitch black conditions inside are amazingly lit from the huge stained glass windows that line every wall. That and the digital displays of all the cash registers hocking everything but Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame plush toys. It was the oddest combination of quiet religious reverence and shameless tourist consumerism. We of course picked up a souvenir 'message to God' candle for Adam's grandmother -- only 5 Euros!

Next stop - Eiffel Tower! After a very brief discussion about the alternatives of taking the stairs (cheaper) or the elevator (sane), we got in the very long line for the elevators. Security was quite tight. As our backpack was being searched, AC though it would be a prudent time to tell me all about the role of the Eiffel Tower in Superman II. Let's just say after using the words "terrorists," "bomb," and "secret plot to blow up the tower", we started getting some very suspicious looks from our linemates. I quickly asked him a random question about Madonna (a sure-fire way to change the topic) to avoid our imminent arrest.

As you'd expect, the view was beautiful (unfortunately the top level was closed, so we had to settle for the middle). It was also cold. Looking back at the pictures, we oddly never posed together. Not just at the Eiffel Tower, but in Paris at all! We'll have to remember that for next time.

After lunch, AC suggested we check out The d'Orsay Museum. I was actually quite surprised he suggested this given that I am more of the art-freak and thought I'd already gotten more than my fair share after spending all day at The Louvre. It's an amazing museum that was converted from a railway station (think art gallery in Grand Central Station). The layout and lighting were simply amazing and it was nice to see some art I was more familiar with. Not to be a total nerd, but you get the most indescribable feeling when you're right next to a famous painting you've only seen in books ... you could touch it if you wanted to (get arrested). I wondered out out -- what would prevent someone from coming in here and vandalizing one of the paintings? Interestingly, right after we left -- someone did just that by punching a hole in a painting I'd gazed at just days before. Anyway, to make up for making AC do so much grown-up stuff, I posed for a picture that looks a rhino is about to crap on me. See how we give-and-take?

After this, the Arc de Triomphe! It's a little tricky to figure out how to get to it, as it's encircled by a multiple lane circular road. After AC's reference to our trusty guidebook, we found the subway entrance and made it over. The most memorable thing about this monument was the spiral staircase the led up to the top. For me, it wasn't the staircase itself but the pile of nearly-dead bodies panting desperately for breath at the top. AC and I are no fitness freaks, but nearly everyone who braved the staircase seemed to be on the verge of a myocardial infarction. We felt pretty good about ourselves! We also had a little run-in with the law here, but if AC ever gets back to blogging, I'll let him write about it.

To end our day, we took a leisurely walk back down the Champs-Élysées back to our hotel. We made a quick pit-stop to ride a huge Ferris Wheel and then watched leisurely as a fist fight almost broke out somehow. Don't ask me -- we were confused too.

Stay tuned for Paris Day 4 -- Claude Monet's house and the palace of Versailles. Oh, and here are the pictures.

Paris Day 2

AC was a gracious travel buddy on day two and allowed me to hang out at The Louvre ... all day! Rumor has it that the Campbell Clan's approach to this museum is to rush in right when it opens, see the Mona Lisa, then the Venus de Milo then leave -- twenty minutes max!

I, however, have started to get really interested in art as I grow older. Although I'd already been to The Louvre in my youth, I had a totally new perspective in adulthood. Realistically, by the end I though I might puke if I saw another marble statue or painting of Jesus, but I'm glad I got to spend so much time there.

As promised, here are the pictures from day two!

Distracted

While I had planned a glorious day-by-day expose of our Paris trip, I find myself extremely distracted. Explanation below ...

Fast-forward to the final day of our Paris vacation. I got an email from my boss saying that she needed to talk with me urgently and asked if she could call me over the weekend. This is not her usual MO -- she really isn't one to bug me over a weekend, much less while I'm on vacation.

So to make a long story short, she was calling me to let me know that my job in Hong Kong was eliminated. I must admit this didn't come as a huge surprise to me. The hiring forecast for next year was reduced to 1/3 of the original plan. Combined with the fact that it's quite expensive to keep me living in Hong Kong, this outcome became inevitable.

(For this next part, picture two mini-AJs sitting on each of my shoulders. One with a halo, one with horns and a pitchfork.)

So herein lies my psychosis -- I'm 50% okay and 50% disgruntled employee doing web research on arson (just kidding!).

Angel AJ -- this whole experience was truly a blessing. Considering a mere 10 years ago I was a mere Wal-Mart cronie, this was an opportunity that very few would ever get. It was an amazing mixture of excitement, culture shock, loneliness, joy, heartbreak ... so much personal growth and learning packed into 12 short months. While I'm sad it ended early, I am a much better person for having done this.

Devil AJ - F*CK YOU you piece of sh*t company! How could you not see this coming? Why in God's name would you wait to fire my ass until RIGHT AFTER I rented out my condo , sold my car, had my partner quit his job and move to China, gave my poor dog so many pre-move shots he almost died from the allergic reaction *pant pant pant*. I can't tell if I'm more mad about being d*cked over by corporate America, or simply lashing out for losing a job that I love so dearly ...

They are trying to make the best of the situation by trying to find me a new job. I have a firm role lined up in the US ... basically my old job back. Not too excited about that. Another option might be moving to Singapore. Interesting ... only how do I say this delicately ... they throw "my kind of people" in prison for expressing our love to each other. *ahem*

I'm not a praying person, but we'd sure appreciate some kind thoughts from you all while we figure out where life is taking us next. Thanks to those who have sent well-wishes thus far. Let's hope this all results in something even more exciting!

Paris Day One

As I mentioned, day one in Paris was really just about getting our bearings and trying to shake off the jet lag. Here are some random pictures from our first day.

Paris Relived - Day One

All of last week, AC and I had the pleasure of spending time in Paris. I had hoped to jot down some updates while I was gone, but it was a semi-working vacation so between work and fun, there was no time to write. I'll try and recreate our activities (and upload pictures soon too!).

I worked late on Monday night and got home about 8:30 pm. AC had thankfully done all the packing, and I did my usual grousing about how he packed too many bags. To illustrate my point, we found ourselves sweaty and exhausted after lugging them through the subway network to the Airport Express station. I think we had gotten in at least four arguments before we made it to the airport. We can never be on The Amazing Race, that is for certain.

After a medium length layover in the Heathrow airport, we found ourselves in gay Paris! It was too early to check into our hotel, so we checked our bags at the hotel and went exploring. It was quite chilly, much to AC's delight (he's been hating the hot muggy weather in Hong Kong). We arrived during the lunch hour and all the locals were out-and-about ... and let me tell you they are one good-looking group of people. Well-dressed, well-groomed, speaking their sexy French accents. By contrast, AC and I were jet lagged, unshaven, with blood-shot eyes and bad breath. We clearly didn't fit it.

We still tried our best to avoid looking like tourists. After getting a little lost we were forced to reference the Lonely Planet guidebook for a map. As I tried to block AC from street view, I noticed that his sweatshirt gave us away "AMERICAN Eagle" in huge white letters ... there was no hiding it. We were tourists.

On our first evening we didn't do much in the way of organized activities. We quickly discovered we were walking distance from The Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and could easily see the Eiffel Tower. After a quick dinner (Japanese, oddly) we totally crashed early and slept like logs.

Missing My 'Hood

When I'm feeling a little homesick, there are a wide variety of web-based resources that make me feel like I'm keeping in touch with my old stomping grounds. I found that the new street view on Google Maps, was becoming a very unhealthy obsession, so SFGate.com has been a more healthy outlet.

What I'm most excited about is the potential new design for the Trans Bay Terminal. The city is still going through a bidding process to understand the details of the proposed designs, but the one that I was most in love with was selected! It reminds me so much of the International Finance Center here in Hong Kong. The though of having a 5.4 acre garden right downtown is a really neat concept.

Let's hope it actually gets built so my property value can go up!

Not Getting Hopes Up

Friday was apartment shopping. It was a blast! It was truly some red carpet treatment.

They picked us up at 9:00 am with our personal Benz driver who took us to the property office. After a short orientation (most of which I already knew, but was beneficial for AC) we went off to look at properties.

Real estate shopping in Hong Kong is an experience like none other. For anyone who has complained about the San Francisco real estate market, come live in HK for a while and you'll long for the affordable prices. Sticker shock is issue numero uno. The cheapest place we looked at was just a shade over 1,000 square feet and it was a steal at $55,000 HKD per month (~$7,000 US). I guess it helps when the company is paying for it. I don't know how people who live here regularly actually pull it off.

The second weird thing is they don't do anything to the apartment until they have a tenant. This means the old tenant (or sometimes owner) moves out and they start showing it. For the most part, they were all a complete disaster -- messy, smelly, run down, wore out. You really have to picture what they are going to look like cleaned up. Some of them, we couldn't help but laugh our heads off they were so bad.

Because we were greedy awful Americans, our agent assumed we would want to see huge places. Most of the apartments we looked at were 2,000+ square feet. At one point, AC finally said, "I'm sorry -- this is just too big. What would we make out of this room, a dance floor?"

Lastly, there is the issue of the maid's room. We call it the slave's quarters. It usually consists of a microscopic room, usually the size of the closet. They commonly had a separate servant's entrance and the room was always off of the kitchen. The also have a separate bath with a hand-held shower that is directly over the toilet Amtrak style. Some of the beds were so short, there is no way a human being over eight years of age could stretch out properly. They say this is a concept that you warm up to, but I just don't think I'll ever feel right about it.

In the end, we made an offer on an apartment that took me about 32.2 seconds to fall madly in love with. First, it's right in the middle of the SoHo area, which is rich with countless bars, restaurants, shopping, and what I suspect is the world's longest escalator. Secondly, it was luxury! They had a wine and cigar bar right in the building. We wanted to look at the gym and pool, but they said it was too exclusive and they wouldn't let us in (damn them!).

Lastly, the apartment. It was actually the smallest and cheapest of everything we'd seen. The view (from the 37th floor) was nothing short of breath-taking -- especially when you looked down to the street level. When I walked into the second bath, however, I was sold. There was a TV screen in the shower. A TV SCREEN IN THE SHOWER!! I'm sorry, but that has to be the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life. There is also a TV in the master bath (opposite the toilet -- heh heh) and in the kitchen as well. Everything was brand new and pristine. Then we noticed the security cameras throughout the apartment. I was told you can log onto the Internet and check what is going on when you are not home (meaning: check to make sure your slave is working hard). There is even one in the guest bedroom. To anyone coming to visit: you have been warned!

Though small, it was completely perfect for us. Tater even has a room to his own (the slave room of course). Our only conditions were that they let us have the dog, and they knock down a wall and turn it from a 3 to a 2 bedroom.

So even in writing this, I am getting my hopes up. There is already an offer on the unit, but our agent is going to try and make a better offer to one-up them!

Quitter

I quit.

Not my job ... but I finally quit Japanese lessons. I had no idea how hard it would be, and I was spending four hours a week in lessons which I knew would all be time wasted in the long run.

I could tell my heart just wasn't really in it when I never seemed to want to study (and you all know how much I love to study -- seriously, I do!). In some ways, I think I more-or-less fired my teacher than quit. He was such a nice guy, but I spent so much time staring directly into his mouth trying to get the correct pronunciation of the words that I'm pretty sure I know his brand of cigarettes. He was a little flaky too, and we never seemed to have a solid direction to the lessons.

So now I have an extra four hours per week. I would actually love to pick up German again. Don't think the company would be willing to pay for that, however.

Bathroom Antics

As you might imagine, some of my funniest moments happen in the bathroom. I suspect I'm the only person who brushes their teeth after lunch (even worse opting for the all-organic apricot flavored toothpaste). Needless to say, the looks I get indicate how weird I must appear to them.

Very often, as I absent-mindedly lean against the counter while brushing away my sub sandwich, my pants encouter a completely soaked bathroom counter. The counters aren't usually simply wet -- they are often so wet there are no dry patches, making it difficult to tell they are wet in the first place. As I lean against the counter (resulting in a wet spot just about crotch height), I wonder who the hell does this?! Today I figured it out.

My office is on the same floor as the embassy for the United Arab Emirates. I originally thought they were simply the culprits who smoked cigarettes in the bathroom (they were), but today I got to witness their hand washing habits.

As I brushed my teeth, one of the guys from the embassy came in to wash his hands. He slowly rolled his sleeves all the way up past his elbows and began to douse his arms with cold water (I knew it was cold because it was splashing all over me as well). He then took a huge wad of paper towels, soaked them in the water and washed his entire face, head, heck and hair.

Thinking he was done, I surveyed me general wetness on the right side of my body (I wore a white shirt no less). But he wasn't done. He proceeded to take his shoes and socks off and wash his feet as well! I left the bathroom at this point, fearing that seeing any other body parts get washed in the same sink I brush my teeth may be detrimental to tooth care.

Brunch Error

Today we went to La Fourchette for brunch. The menu was kind of confusing -- and we accidentally ordered the price-fix brunch. The menu had a title: "Sunday Frog Menu." I thought that was odd considering it was a French restaurant. It was way more food then we ever would want. And it came with grilled frog legs. And Adam ate them.

No Fly Zone

I just want to start be acknowledging I'm being grossly immature in this post.

I love my job here in Hong Kong. In many ways, however, it's far from ideal. I used to lead a huge team. Here, I'm a one-man-band. I struggle to connect with candidates both on a basic linguistic and cultural level. It's tough to convince someone to come work for us when you have trouble understanding each other.

But what I love love love is the travel. And now I have to stop. In a staff meeting this week, I was only paying half attention as usual:

Director: blah blah blah blah budget blah blah blah 11 million dollar reduction blah blah blah no travel blah blah
Me: *ears pricking up* -- No travel?!
Director: Well, it's not quite no traveling, but blah blah blah ...

I began mentally scrolling through all the travel I had planned in the coming months. Japan, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Belgium, Switzerland ... I had a full schedule planned! I broke down sobbing right in the middle of the staff meeting. Just kidding ...

I went back to my desk and tried to decide what travel to cut. It was like deciding which of my children to let drown. Japan was the first to go - I did all of my meetings over the phone. Then Malaysia and Switzerland. Belgium (the trip I was dreading for some reasons I'll share later) stays unfortunately. Maybe the U.S. team will buy my ticket to Singapore? Better not get my hopes up.

"You can fly coach to Tokyo," suggests my manager. I already fly coach as it is, so that gave me no peace. So until then, I guess I'm just forced to simply enjoy Hong Kong. Man, I don't really have any tough problems do I?